In three decades of networking for her career, Mardy Sitzer never managed to polish her golf game. But she has found an alternative: networking over polish.

To squeeze in that extra billable hour, professional women in New York are increasingly holding work meetings at nail salons rather than the tired standbys of coffee shops or cocktail lounges. It’s a departure from the traditional image of clubby executives back-slapping on the back nine, yet manicure meetings offer the same sort of camaraderie found on manicured greens.

“Serious discussion doesn’t occur,” said Ms. Sitzer, a 57-year-old marketing executive, who prefers pale pink or beige on her nails during the week and darker taupes for the weekends. “Much like on the golf course, we catch up on our personal and professional lives, people we know mutually, gossip — and of course what’s coming up.”

“If a deal is pending,” she added, “we never touch on it directly but allow questions and insights to banter about lightly.” Read More »